Thalia's Quest
by KLoveMe
Summary: (Takes place after Jason leaves in the Lost Hero) Thalia is thinking back on her life and her friends, especially one named Luke. She realizes she misses and forgives him and sets off to find him, unaware that he is dead and has chosen to be reborn. My theory of how rebirth works.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Guys! K here. This is my second fanfic, my first being a Tiger's Curse fanfic called Forget Me Not. Please read it if you like Tiger's Destiny!**

The dark-haired demigod lay on the ground, on top of her sleeping bag. She didn't understand why she was so stressed. She had just found her brother, who was supposedly dead. Nothing was wrong.

But it was, she reminded herself. Because she wanted to give her friend a chance to shine, she had changed her life without looking into it. Now she couldn't go back, no matter how hard she wanted to. She probably wouldn't get to see her friends again. Their faces flashed in her mind now.

Annabeth Chase. The blonde, tan-skinned grey-eyed daughter of Athena. The girl had met her when she was thirteen. Annabeth was seven then, and had run away from home. They had met while she was traveling to camp, Camp Half-Blood in New York, with her friend Luke.

The girl smiled at the memory. They had then traveled the rest of the way to the camp together. Then the fatal incident happened. They had just reached the border, but monsters were chasing them. She pushed Luke and Annabeth ahead and continued to fight. She had won, but had been fatally injured. To save her, her stupid dad had turned her into a freaking pine tree for six years. Then there was the first person she saw when she awoke: Percy Jackson, son of the sea-god Poseidon.

Percy was the same age she was when she awoke: still thirteen. He had brown hair and sea green eyes. They argued sometimes, but Percy still made her laugh. Together they had rescued Nico and Bianca DiAngelo, children of Hades. Then, with Bianca, the satyr Grover, and a Hunter of Artemis named Zöe, they went on a quest to rescue Annabeth and the goddess Artemis. Bianca and Zöe were killed along the way. Afterwards, she gave up her ability to date and marry to become a Hunter so it would be Percy in the prophecy that was coming up. She still doesn't completely understand why she did it.

Then Luke's face flashed in her mind.

She rolled onto her side and shut her eyes tight, trying to hold on to him. When she became a Hunter, she had left behind her longtime friend Luke Castillan, son of Hermes. He had had sandy blonde hair and icy eyes. Luke was sort of a sad case, hating the gods and all, but he was funny and she had really gotten to see his soft side in the year she knew him. But when she awoke after six years, he was gone. She doesn't know where he is even now.

But she wanted him.

She had always liked Luke, but after a month or two she actually grew to love him. He made her feel like she was walking on air- excited and weightless, but then claustrophobic and terrified (her greatest shame: a daughter of Zeus, scared of heights!). Now, she realized she had to find him.

The girl's eyes flew open and she gasped as that last thought his her. Then she immediately clamped her hand over her mouth and glanced and her tent mate, Phoebe. She was still asleep. The girl stood and walked out of the tent into the openness of the woods the Hunters were camping in. She reached into her picked and pulled out a small slit of paper- her fortune from a few nights ago (hey, even Hunters like Chinese food!). She smeared white-out on the side with her lucky numbers and grabbed an orb of charcoal from the fire preparation bag. Then she scribbled out a message in little letters, not all of them truthful:

_Dear Sisters,_

_ I am sorry to have to leave you on such sort notice, but I am a demigod and my dreams are often right. They tell me my old friend Luke Castillan is in trouble. I am going out to find him, even if it may cost me my immortality as a Hunter to break my maidenhood. If you truly trust me and care for me, you will allow me to embark on this journey. _

_Luck to you all,_

_Thalia Grace_

**Good? Too short? Too long? Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**In this chapter, Thalia meets a girl who joins her quest for a little bit. I think you'll like her! :)**

Thalia pushed aside brambles, cursing in Latin. She wasn't used to traveling alone. Without Phoebe or Alexis, another one of her favorite Sisters, she was weak.

No, she told herself, I'm not weak, nor will I ever be. I am the daughter Zeus; I cannot be defeated.

But she had been, nine years ago.

She pushed that painful memory aside, focussing on the thought of Luke. She /would/ see him again. That was really all that mattered.

Thalia jumped suddenly, hearing movement in the bushes around her. She pulled out her silver sword (a gift from Artemis), never one to hesitate.

A small figure emerged from the bushes. it was a girl, around the age of nine, with red hair in a messy braid down her back to her waist. Her eyes were green and fierce and she wore all black. A nail gun was held in her right hand, and her left was a fist.

Thalia's expression softened slightly upon sight of the young girl. "Hi," she said, easing up on the steel in her voice without completely extracting it. As far as she knew, the girl could be a monster.

But monsters didn't carry nail guns.

The redhead's eyes widened and she held her nail gun as if she were about to fire. "Get back, monster!" she yelled.

Thalia laughed. This girl had gut; a perfect demigod, if that's even what she was. "I'm Thalia Grace," she continued. "Who ate you?"

The girl didn't loose her grip on the nail gun. "Amara Ashlee," she said, almost as flatly as Thalia's sarcasm tone. "I'm a demigod. You monsters just /love/ to kill us; rip us limb from limb and devour our flesh." Amara took a step forward and raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Am I making you hungry, monster?"

"Actually, I'm a demigod, too," Thalia responded. "A daughter of Zeus even."

Amara's eyes widened. "Truly?! I'm only a daughter of Demeter. But I did learn how to strangle people with vines," she said thoughtfully.

Thalia put her arm around her new friend's shoulder. "Amara, I think you and I are going to get along /just/ fine," she said with a grin.

It was later that night when they came.

Thalia had expected it, though. You can't write the goddess Artemis and her Hunters a note saying you quit and expect them not to find you. She blinked and found herself face to face with Alexis. Alexis had blonde hair, green eyes that were almost always narrowed, and wore midnight blue, very different from Thalia's spiky black hair, icy blue eyes, and punk style.

But their freckly noses were about the same.

"You're in trouble," Alexis said, stretching out the word and smirking. "Artemis is pretty ticked."

At that very moment Artemis pushed her way through her cluster of Hunters towards Thalia. She was in the form of a ten year old (which was kind of unnerving for Thalia to have to look up to a girl she had to crouch to see) with copper-colored hair and fierce grey eyes that reminded her of Annabeth.

"Thalia Grace!" Artemis exploded. "What the heck is Wong with you?!" she then proceeded to cuss her out, and a couple of the younger, newer recruits plugged their ears and winced.

Thalia grimaced. "I'm sorry, Sister Artemis," she apologized. "But-"

"No buts, Thalia! When you took the Oath, you agreed to be a maiden. Now you say you wish to seek out a... A /boy/, who you say is only a friend?!" Alexis was right; Artemis /was/ ticked. "Sister," The goddess said softly, after taking a breath to calm down a bit. "Please. Men are vile and trashed the earth enough. We don't need them walking into /our/ lives."

"But what about the Trials?" Thalia blurted.

"Come," Artemis seethed. "How you found out about the Trials I do not know, but we will discuss this elsewhere."

The goddess led the daughter of Zeus far away from the Hunters, who were introducing themselves to a very overwhelmed Amara, who was beginning to murmur cuss words to her nail gun.

"Thalia, the Trials are difficult. You do know that, right?" She sounded truly concerned.

She nodded. "Yes, Sister. But Luke will help me through them."

Artemis sighed. "About Luke..."

"I know he was against us and almost made me destroy Olympus, but Percy got word to me that he had been possessed by Kronos! I was so excited I cut him off there! Luke shouldn't be bad anymore, Sister Artemis, Kronos is gone!" Thalia beamed.

"But..."

"Sister, please," Her voice was pleading. "Let me try to complete the Trials. We can! I promise!"

Artemis sighed. "Fine. You will find Luke in the Underworld. But you will need this." She reached around her neck and pulled out a silver crescent moon pendent on a black leather cord. "Present this to Charon and Hades. They will understand what to do."

Thalia smiled in relief. "Thank you, Sister. But... Why is Luke in the Underworld?"

Artemis adverted her eyes. "He is... Receiving his punishment for last year." She bit her lip.

Thalia grinned and ran off to meet up with Amara.

Artemis sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't know why, but something kept her from telling Thalia that Luke was dead.

Thalia was a little irritated with Phoebe and Alexis. Because of their 'kindness', Amara now had a sapphire-encrusted dagger. And now she wouldn't shut up about it.

"And look at the way the sun catches the blade!" She gasped.

Thalia groaned. "Sure." Then /she/ gasped. "Oh! We're here!"

**Reviews help me write!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry for all the typos- no spell check on my laptop. planning to get it soon! Oh, and my italics are jammed, so if a word is in slants (EX: /hi/) pretend it's in italics, 'kay?**

She was right. The two girls were right outside DOA Recording Studios, Hollywood.

Amara and Thalia entered the studios. In the lobby many elderly (and to Thalia's sorrow, a couple of children) sat looking sad and confused. A few were hugging the children and sobbing. It made Thalia want to do the same.

Amara shuddered. "How sad," she whispered, moving closer to Thalia.

Sitting at the check-in desk was a tall man with chocolate skin and bleached/blonde hair cut military-style. He wore dark sunglasses and a pinstriped suit without a single wrinkle. Pinned to his lapel and it read 'Charon' and he was reading a magazine titled "Underworld Weekly".

Thalia and Amara approached him casually. "Hey, you," Amara said, putting on a brave face. "Can we cross?"

The man peered at the girls over his magazine. "You guys dead?" He asked flatly.

"Yeah," Amara continued.

"How?"

"I killed myself," Thalia said, hoping her punk style would make her lie easier to believe.

Amara went with the classic, "Shark attack."

"Can you pay?"

"I know I have one in here somewhere," Thalia mustered, digging in her pocket for the drachma she kept in case she needed to send an Iris Message. Then she set it on the counter.

Charon's eyes drifted over to Amara. She handed him her nail gun, which Thalia just noticed was bedazzled in green and pink rhinestones.

He raised an eyebrow but set down the magazine, leading them over to the elevator. "You two should probably wait in line," Charon said as the doors slid open. "I know that the 'EZ Death' line might seem, well, easy, but you girls seem innocent enough to make Elysium."

Thalia snorted. She wasn't innocent one bit.

Charon helped them into an old boat and began rowing them over a sea of darkness. It made Thalia shudder and hold Amara close when they heard the screams of the souls in the Fields of Punishment. She hoped Luke's punishment wouldn't be that bad.

The boat pulled to a stop in front of a path. We traveled up it to see three lines: one 'EZ Death' line and two 'Attendant on Duty' lines. Cerberus, the giant, three-headed Rottweiler guarded all of them. He fastened his eyes on Amara and Thalia and a low growl rumbled in his throats.

Something flashed in Thalia's mind. Something Percy had told her about his time in the Underworld. Annabeth had played fetch.

With Cerberus.

Thalia dug around in her pack for something to throw but came up empty handed.

"He knows," Amara whispered. "He knows we're alive."

"And that sucks," I muttered.

"What're we going to do, Thalia?" She hissed.

"Probably die," I said with a shrug.

"Who says you can die after death?" A girl's voice laughed. A woman walked over to us; a smile on her face. She had tan skin from spending many days in the sun and a a long, black braid woven with daisies. The flowers were dead from being in the Underworld. She wore a dark violet gown with an indigo ribbon tied around her skinny middle. Her eyes were a welcoming green. "My name is Persephone," the woman continued. "And I recognize Artemis's blessing anywhere. Come on, girls. My stupid husband wishes to speak with you." She said last part bitterly.

We were going to meet the lord Hades himself.

Persephone took us through the 'EZ Death' line, brutally pushing aside some irritated looking spirits who looked like they wanted to cuss her out but held back upon recognizing their queen.

"Now then," she said, flashing us a bright smile. "Basia will escort you the rest of the way. I hate my husband and will gladly retire to my chambers instead. Basia! Where Is that girl?!"

A small child, clearly no more than five, darted out from behind one of the columns in Hades's entryway. She had soft brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. She wore a red violet dress and her feet were bare.

Basia looked up at Thalia and Amara shyly. "Shall I take then to Hades, 'Sephone?" she asked in a small voice.

Persephone sighed, not enjoying her nickname, and nodded. "Yes, Basia."

The girl led them into the throne room, where a very annoyed looking Hades sat on an ivory throne. He had intense silver eyes, longish black hair, black silk robes, and wore a braided gold crown. He tadiayed so much power Thalia almost just wanted to curl up and die. Almost. "Why bother me, niece?" He asked, irritated. "There is a plague in Yemen, and I am very busy."

Thalia stepped forward nervously. "Sister Artemis told me the boy Luke Castillan was working for you as a punishment. Can I see him?"

Hades laughed, and the sound rumbled through the chamber.

"Good acoustics," Amara remarked.

"Daughter of Zeus, Luke Castillan is long dead. Died in the Titan War last year. Sacrificed himself, actually, to kill my father from inside of him. He managed to score Elysium for that, though I objected against it." He said.

Thalia froze as the news hit her like a rock. Luke? Dead? Artemis should've told her that! "Can I find him there?" She asked softly, a small tear rolling down her cheek. No! Impossible! Thalia Grace never cried!

But she was, now.

Hades shrugged. "Heck if I know!" He snorted. "Too many heroes in there to count! You guys should really take a break. You could check, but Luke moved on to another life like my daughter Bianca. Hmm, I guess she's Ares's daughter now..."

Thalia and Amara left Hades droning on about Bianca's death and had Basia take them back to the ferry.

"Sorry about Luke, Thalia," Amara said. "Boys are stupid anyway."

Thalia sighed. "You been talking to Phoebe?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Look, it's not just Luke. I gave up my immorality and my entire freaking /life/ to try to preform three Trials with him. But there's no way I can do it now," Thalia muttered as Charon began rowing back to the gateway.

"Wait!"

Someone was running towards the boat.

Thalia stood in order to get a better view of the boy trying to come aboard. Her throat constricted and she couldn't breathe. She only managed one word:

"Luke."

**I'm planning on removing Amara in the next chapter, because I can only picture Thalia, Luke, and another surprise guest ;) but if you want her to stay please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter's a little shorter- but it's when my **_**surprise **_**character gets introduced!**

It couldn't be Luke of course; Hades himself had said he was dead. The boy was around Thalia's age of seventeen, with sandy blonde hair and hazel eyes. He wore a dark green shirt and jeans.

"Hold the boat!"

But it wasn't Luke... Was it? He sounded just like him.

"Please!"

Charon groaned and the ferry slowed to a stop. The boy climbed in and sat down across from Thalia.

"Hey," he said with a grin. "I'm Luke."

"No," Amara scoffed, breaking Thalia's startled silence. "Luke's dead."

Something flickered in Luke's eyes. "I'm alive, though," he said with a shrug. "It must be another Luke."

/But you look just like him,/ Thalia thought to herself. "Must be," she managed.

"So why are you in the Underworld?" Luke asked "You obviously aren't dead."

"Neither are you," Amara said pointedly.

He glanced at the floor of the boat. "No."

"We... Had a question to ask Hades," Thalia blurted.

"What was it?"

Thalia froze again. Luckily, Amara had her covered.

"It's none of /your/ business," she snapped.

"How old did you say you were again?" Luke asked, taken aback.

"Eight."

Thalia and Amara left Luke in the DOA Studios building and tried to find the Hunters. Thalia still didn't understand why she left him. If he /was/ Luke Castillan, and he wasn't really dead, then she could complete the Trials. But now she was returning to Artemis and was going to turn into just another piece of game for them to hunt.

"Thalia! Thank the Gods!"

That voice. It could only be one person.

But no. She too was gone.

And yet...

The girl now embracing Thalia was about fifteen, had hair the color of coffee, and chocolate colored eyes. Her hair was down around her shoulders and she wore dark blue jeans, black shirt, and a khaki jacket.

"What?!" Thalia gasped as the girl pulled away. "But I thought you were-"

"Dead?" Laughed Bianca DiAngelo with a grin.

**Please review! :3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, this chapter is going to be pretty short, and Thalia is pretty much only mentioned in it. It's Luke's POV, and it explains things a little bit.**

Luke has a secret, and he knew Thalia was on the verge of finding it out. The way she looked at him, like he wasn't a stranger to her. He wasn't, of course, but he wanted to start over with her.

Thalia left him soon after they got off of the ferry. He stood in DOA Studios' lobby, unsure of why. Then he remembered: he was dead.

-linebreak (break in between sections)-

It had started one year ago. He had basically killed himself to get rid of the Titan King possessing him. The next thing he knew, he was standing outside of the Studios.

Luke pushed the doors open and slowly entered, unsure of where he was. Percy had mentioned something about this when he had returned from his first quest. He had said something about it being the gateway to the Underwold, which made more sense when Luke saw Charon sitting at his desk, practically swarmed with people.

Luke recognized most of them. Some of them had been demigods on his side -or rather, Kronos's side- in the Titan War. Others he recognized from camp.

One of them made him feel guilty as soon as he saw him.

Charles Beckendorf, son of Hephaestus.

Luke hadn't killed him directly, of course. Beckendorf had been caught in an explosion that Lke still didn't exactly know who had started. Percy came to mind, though. He tended to blow stuff up a lot.

Beckendrorf spotted him instantly. "Luke!" He gasped. "Did you get killed too? Was it Percy? In your FACE!"

He frowned. "No, _I_ did it to get rid of Kronos."

Beckendorf looked at Luke with a new respect. "Oh, okay. Your trial should be interesting, then."

And it was. Luke's life was pretty crappy, sad, happy, evil, and then good again. The judges, based on his act of heroism in the end, chose Elysium.

"You deserve it," George Washington insisted.

"He's right," said Abraham Lincoln.

"Yep!" Agreed Thomas Jefferson.

Benjamin Franklin was too busy flying a kite to even watch the program on Luke's life, so he didn't have an imput.

The Elysum was pretty fun, he guessed, but it wasn't that fun when no one came near you. Then every once in a while, someone in there would choose to be reborn.

Then, only recently, he decided to do the same.

"One at a time," a spirit said glumly as he stood at the check-out line. "Name?"

"Luke Castellan."

"Favorite age?"

"Um..." He chose the age Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia should be right about now. "Seventeen."

"Okay, Luke, I have altered the memory of your new parents, Stewart and Molly. They live in Sante Fe, New Mexico, and you will be homeschooled." The spirit snapped his fingers. "Now you are seventeen. Everyone you meet -unless they're a demigod like you- will have their minds altered my the Mist so that they think you've always been there."

Luke exited the Elysium, never feelig more alive. (Except, you know, when he _was _alive.) He had been reborn, and could start over with his life.

The he saw her.

Thalia, along with some redheaded girl, were walking out of Hades's palace. As he watched, they climbed into a ferry and Charon rowing away.

Luke thought fast. He began to run. "Hey!" He shouted. "Stop the boat!"

Thalia turned her head and saw him. She stood, and he saw her mouth one word:

"Luke."

**What do you think about my theory of rebirth? Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey lovers of TQ (Thalia's Quest)! If you know someone that loves Percy Jackson, tell them about my fanfic. Also, I'm loving the reviews I'm getting! Let's get some more! (Oh, and majority rules: Amara will stay.)**

**Ok, back to Thalia's POV.**

Bianca explained some things to me, after I introduced her and Amara. First off, the rebirth process. You choose an age (Bianca's was fifteen) and a spirit gives you a location. You are matched with random parents and the Mist makes it so that everyone you talk to thinks yoou've always been there. But Bianca got lucky enough to still be a demigod, so she doesn't have to be home all the time. She's been looking for Camp Half-Blood, but she hasn't been able to find it.

"It's on the other side of the country," Thalia admitted.

Bianca made a face.

"Are you a Hunter like Thalia?" Amara asked.

It _was _a good question. Thalia wated to know, too.

But Bianca shook her head. "Not anymore. Once you become reborn, your slate is cleared."

Then something occured to Thalia. "Nico!"

Bianca's eyes widened. "Where is he?" She asked, looking around frantically. "Is he here?!"

"No," Amara said, confused. "Was he your boyfriend? I thought you had been a Hunter."

Thalia and Bianca looked at each other and started laughing. "He's her brother," Thalia said.

"Oh."

"So why were you in the Underworld?" Bianca asked with a shiver. "Not a nice place."

"Oh, we were looking for-" Thalia elbowed her. Hard. "OW!"

"Looking for who?"

"No one," she said through gritted teeth, glaring at Amara, who was wondering what she did wrong.

"Thalia! Amara!" Luke ran up to them.

"Oh," Bianca said in realization. "So _that's _who you were looking for,"

-linebreak-

"Luke," She said angrily. "Just leave us alone. You never deserved Elysium."

He made a face. "I was talking to _them_, Bia. I don't think I called _your_ name, did I? I was glad you left when you did."

"So..." Thalia could barely breathe. If _this _Luke new Bianca from the Elysium, then could _this _Luke be _that _Luke...? "You're..."

"Sorry, Thalia," Luke said. "I was planning on keeping it a secret, but you already suspected it, at least a little bit. It's me, Luke Castellan."

**How was it? Please review. And now another question: Bianca. Go or stay?**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter has a Thalia & Luke moment. I know most of you are probably thinking, 'Finally!' so here goes:**

**Thalia's POV:**

I was running. Don't know why or for how long, but I was. And I was crying.

It felt good, to run, as if I were running off my pain. Sure, Luke was back, reborn, and my age. Like, perfect! But yet... he hadn't said that when he first saw me and recognized me. And, oh, I don't know, _he nearly killed all of my friends_! Sure he saved everyone in the end, and I had feelings for him up until he betrayed everyone, and maybe, if he hadn't, I still would. I _thought _I still did. But when I heard he was dead, I locked those feelings inside and gave up.

I didn't know what to feel now.

That was why I cried.

Running was stupid, though. I had only gotten to a forest, maybe five miles away, when he stopped me. He may have chosen to be reborn, but Luke was still a son of Hermes. He had caught up and then some, so I ran straight into him.

He held me, but I continued to cry. I screamed and sobbed and kicked and hit and punched, but he didn't let me go. I stomped on his foot, and by the way he tensed I realized it hurt him, but he still didn't let me go. He held me closer, and eventually I stopped fighting.

I just cried and stood, not stopping or hugging back. Just stood.

"Thalia," he said softly. "I know you're mad."

"No, duh!" I screamed. I then proceeded to list all the things he'd done wrong.

He still pleaded. "But what about taking you and Annabeth to camp? Helping you two fight monsters? Remember Hal? Together we figured out a way to escape, and in doing so you got your shield, Aegus. Thalia, please. I was good in the end; I saw my choices and picked good. Please. Please,"

I looked up at him, and through my tears I saw him smile. I buried my face in his chest and held him back.

-Linebreak-

**Luke's POV:**

I was glad Thalia forgave me. To me, right now was all that mattered in my life. Holding her, I felt whole again. Like I wasn't bad anymore. Like I really did have a clean slate.

All of a sudden, Thalia pulled away and looked at me with her stormy blue eyes, studying me.

"What's up?" I asked, perplexed.

"Luke..." She paused. "This is so wrong."

"So?" I laughed. "I like you, and you like me... I think."

"No... I... I'm a Hunter, Luke."

The words hit me like a rock. "Oh... so eternal maidenhood, right?" I mumbled.

"Yeah... but-" Thalia hesitated. "Crap," she said under her breath. "You know, we kind of have a choice: jump off a bridge and die together, take a deadly risk, or, you know, Artemis would kill you for taking me away from her."

"Uh... the risk, please."

She looked into my eyes. Hard. "The risk is scarier than being a pine tree for seven years. Possibly scarier than being possessed by a Titan King for one year, but I don't know what's up with that."

"Still. I'd choose to have a chance of dying over just plain dying." But if Thalia Grace was nervous, I figured I probably should be too. "Why? What's the risk?"

She bit her lip. "There's this... _loophole_ to the Hunter contract-"

"There's a contract now? I thought it was just the oath."

She scowled. The old Thalia was now back. "Shut up, Castellan. The loophole says that if the Hunter really loves someone, to prove him worthy of one of Artemis's girls, he and the girl must complete three Trials."

"What are they?" I asked, bracing myself.

"One- The man must only use a bow and arrow as a weapon for all Trials. Two- He must respect the Hunter's wishes and not make her hurt. And three- you must survive for a week in the wild."

"And if I fail?"

"You die, and I..." She took a shaky breath. "I turn into a fox and Artemis and her Hunters get to hunt me."

**Okay, what do you think? During the Trials, Amara and Bianca will be looking for them, and make some **_**very **_**interesting encounters. REVIEW! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, first off, I'm gonna say this because many of you are saying the Trials are too harsh: I know that they are. That's the point. But back on the story: This first part is Amara and Bianca looking for Thaluke (my shipping name for Thalia and Luke!). **

Amara was confused. She figured Thalia would be happy to find out that the Luke they'd been looking for was right here in front of them, but obviously she was wrong. Thalia had started to cry and had ran off. Luke had ran after her, so now she and Bianca were alone.

"So," Bianca said suddenly. "Are you a demigod?"

"Yeah,"Amara replied. "I'm a daughter of Demeter." To prove her point, she grew a purple rose up from the ground.

Bianca grinned. "I'm a daughter of Ares due to rebirth, but I'm still a daughter of Hades." The rose wilted, and Amara scowled.

*silence*

"Should we go look for them, then?"

"Yeah."

They walked a little ways when all of a sudden Bianca sucked in a breath. Her eyes glazed over. "They're near," she whispered, and Amara got the feeling she wasn't talking about Thalia and Luke.

**-Back to Thaluke, Thalia's POV-**

"I do accept, though," Luke said, taking my hand. "And we'll pass; we have too."

"No duh." I laughed. "I really don't feel like being a fox."

"Okay, so where's my bow and arrow?"

"Right here." Lady Artemis ran up to us, followed by the rest of my Sisters. Phoebe and Alexis were in the front, smiling shyly at Luke, who quickly let go of my hand.

"Hello, Sister," I said to her.

"The same to you," Artemis said with a nod. The she turned back to Luke. "Luke Castellan."

"Uh... yes, Lady."

_Uh? _I thought with a small smile. Artemis laughed too.

"Here is your bow." She held out a silver bow strung with what I recognized as unicorn hair. I gasped when I saw it.

"Lady Artemis! That's _your _bow!" A couple of Hunters (like Phoebe and Alixes, etc.) said it at the exact same time.

She smiled. "Only the best for those competing for the hand of one of my girls." All of a sudden she turned her nose to the right. "Kindly Ones," she snarled. "Girls! This way!" They ran off.

I frowned. "Nice goodbye," I muttered.

"So," Luke said, turning to face me. "One week in the wild."

"Pretty much."

"Can we at least stop by Safeway first?"

"You got money?"

He paused.

"Can we at least hold up Safeway first?"

I laughed. "No. Once Lady gives you the bow, the week begins."

Luke quickly set his watch. "Only 7 days left to go!" He announced.

**-Back to Bianca &Amara-**

"Who's near?" Amara asked nevously, taking out her dagger.

"My father's minions," Bianca spat. "And they aren't very merciful."

Sure enough, three leather-winged creatures landed in front of them.

"Time to die, Honeys," the one in front cackled.


	9. Chapter 9

**K here! I know it's been awhile since I've posted, just been caught up with school and stuff. I just want you guys to know that I made another Percy Jackson fanfic, which takes place after the Giant War. It's about Nico DiAngelo and his choice on whether to go to Camp Jupiter, Halfblood, or just traveling by himself. R&R!**

"Furies," Bianca hissed, pulling out a sword Amara didn't know she had. "Get low."

"Why? They can already see us," Amara pointed out.

"True."

Amara drew her knife. "What do you want with us?" She demanded in a slightly shaky voice.

The Fury in the front laughed again. "Only your lives," she said. "Master Hades had been slightly restless."

"Return back to the Underworld," Bianca demanded.

"You do not rule us anymore, daughter of Ares," one of the others spat.

"Crap," muttered Bianca.

All of a sudden, about a hundred little girls dressed in black and silver ran up.

"Draw your arrows, girls," the girl in the front said. "Time for a battle."

**Thaluke**

Thalia sighed. "Do you want some help?" She asked finally.

"Nope," said Luke, continuing to try to get the scales of the fish with and arrow.

She laughed. "Men." She sat next to him and took the badly bleeding fish and rinsed it in the river. Then she took her knife and scaled the fish. Before Luke could say, 'Thalia, stop!' the fish was gutted and headless as well.

Luke ran his fingers through his hair. "Where'd you learn _that_?" He asked.

Thalia gave him and exasperated look. "Where do you _think_, Castellan?" She asked.

"Sorry. Blonde moment."

Thalia laughed and began cooking the fish over the fire.

Luke scooted closer to her. "What's happed while I was... out?" He asked.

Thalia closed her eyes. "I found Jason," she said quietly.

"What?! Thal, that's great! Um... _how_, exactly, did you find him?"

She opened her eyes and handed a piece of cooked fish to him. "We sort of collided near the bridge to the Wind Palace a couple days ago. He was traveling with a son of Hephaestus, Leo Valdez, and a daughter of Aprodite, Piper McLean."

Luke groaned. "Aphrodite? _Please _tell me she isn't another Drew."

Thalia grinned. "Quite the oppisite actually."

"Thank the Gods!"

She laughed and bit into her fish. It was flavorless, but she was used to it from living with the Hunters. Luke wasn't, and he made a face, but ate it anyway.

**Bi&Am**

"Well, if it isn't the baby girls," sneered one of the Furies.

And arrow flew, followed by ten more. The Fury who made the outburst was instantly powederized, and the other two followed suit.

The copper-haired girl in the front smirked and folded her arms. "That'll show them," she said.

"Lady Artemis!" Amara said with a grin.

"Bianca," Artemis said softly. "Welcome back to life."

Bianca smiled. "Thank you, Goddess."

"Lady Artemis, where is Thalia? And Luke for that matter?" Amara asked, frowning slightly.

"Alas, they are completing the Trials," Artemis answered.

Bianca sucked in a breath. "But they're way too dangerous!" She exclaimed. "Is Thalia out of her mind?!"

"Apparantly so," Phoebe said, stepping up. "She always was a little insane."

"I can see that," muttered Amara to herself.

"But what if she fails?" Bianca demanded. "You won't really hunt her down will you?"

The goddess shook her head. "Thalia knew the risks. And the rules. She decided to participate in the Trials anyway, so she must pay the price if she fails. Come on, girls." She and the Hunters turn and ran away.

Amara walked over to a bench and sat down, her dagger on the ground in front of her. "I... I don't want Thalia to die," she whispered.

Bianca sat down next to her. "I know," she said softly. "I like her too. But if there's one thing I learned in the week or two that I knew her, Thalia is strong. In fact, she's one of the strongest girls I know. She won't let herself fail. For Luke, and for everyone else she knows and loves."

Amara looked up at the daughter of Hades/Ares, tears streaking her face.

Bianca held the young girl close. "Be strong," she murmured through her own tears. "For Thalia."

**Thaluke**

Night fell shortly after that, and the two demigods lay next to each other on the grass. "It's cold," Luke whispered.

Thalia laughed. "I know, but you'll get used to it."

"Don't you Hunters have tents or something?"

"The Hunters do. I don't."

"Crap."

She laughed again. Then she sighed. "Look at the stars," she said in a quiet voice.

"Mm-hmm. They're shiny."

"Look _closer_, idiot," Thalia said through a giggle. "They make constellations."

"I know."

"Most of the constellations come from Greek myths, you know," Thalia went on. "Like, see there, that's Ares. And Hercules."

"How did the Big Dipper fit into greed mythology?" Luke asked, rolling on the ground to face her.

Thalia did the same. "I dunno. Maybe Zeus was eating soup and he dropped his spoon."

"The Little Dipper?"

"The same thing but with Hera."

Luke laughed lightly. "Goodnight, Thal."

Thalia closed her eyes.

Luke sighed.

Then, very quietly, he heard:

"Goodnight, Luke Castellan."

**Okay, okay, not the longest chapter, or good-est chapter, but I had to get it up here. You guys have waited long enough. ;P R&R, just not **_**too **_**harsh, k?**

**-KLoveMe**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hmm, this story is actually going to be coming to a close soon! But don't worry, peeps! I write other fics, so you can go read those! Luv you!**

**Oh, and I suppose I should do a disclaimer: I own nothing other than the Trials, Amara, Alexis, and some of Ysabel. **

Amara and Bianca slept surprisingly well, for two girls sleeping on a bench in freaking Hollywood. Bianca woke up first and shook Amara awake.

"Wha-?" She mumbled.

"Come on, we're going to Chick Fil A for breakfast."

"Why there?"Asked a very sleepy Amara.

Bianca grinned. "Cause I have an aquaintance there."

They walked into the retaurant, where the only person in there was a girl with brown hair pulled up into a ponytail. She had blue eyes and looked about sixteen. She wore a yellow Chick Fil A shirt and khakis. She looked very bored, and wore a red Chik Fil A baseball cap.

"Welcome to Chick Fil A, may I take your order?" She asked with little enthusiasm.

"Ysabel," Bianca said with a smile.

The girl's eyes widened. "Bi?!" She gasped. When Bianca nodded, the girl grinned. "Holy Smiley Faces! Nico told me you were dead!" She sucked in a breath. "Unless you're a ghost!" She gasped. "I see dead people?! Coolio!" Ysabel looked down at Amara. "Whoa, Nico, did you get smaller and more girlish?!"

"I'm Amara," she said. "Nico's not here."

"Aw," said Ysabel, pouting.

"Issy, we need two chicken sandwiches and two large sodas," Bianca said like she rehearsed it.

"Sounds good," Ysabel said, going into the back and getting two snadwiches and two cups. "On the house, for my good pal Bi and her friend Amara, who I hereby nickname Amy." She took a pen and drew a smiley face on each sandwich wrapper and on their cups. "I hope you survive!"

"Um, okay..." Amara said as she and Bianca went to sit down. "She's a little..."

"Strange? Yes. She's a daughter of Hermes, but she doesn't go to camp. She's 'beating the system' by surviving on her own."

"And what's with the smiley faces?" Amara asked, examining her cup.

"Inside joke," Biannca answered, getting up and filling her drink with Sprite. Amara did the same.

"BEAR THE CURSE OF THE SMILEY FACE!" Issy screamed from the counter.

**Thaluke**

Thalia was up at dawn and harvested berries for breakfast. By the time she returned to the campsite, Luke was awake as well, drinking water from his canteen.

"Here, I got raspberries and blackberries," Thalia said, laying them down.

"Okay. I got water."

"No you didn't, I got that last night."

"Oh. I thought I sleep walked."

Thalia laughed and popped a berry in her mouth. "Okay, Smart-Aleck, what now?"

"I dunno. We still got five days left."

"Yeah." She though for a moment. "Want to go for a walk?"

"Got nothing better to do."

They stood and began to walk around. Eventually they grew bored.

"Has it been five days yet?" Thalia asked.

"Five hours," Luke said.

"Awww!"

_Grrrrr_.

"Don't growel at me, boy!" Thalia snapped.

"Um, Thal? That wasn't me," Luke gulped.

"Crap."

Thalia drew her sword and Aegius, and Luke pulled out his bow and arrow. A hydra slythered out of the woods and spat at them. Thalia blocked the venom with Aegius and Luke loaded an arrow **(A/N: is that what you would say? IDK.)**.

"We have to burn it," Thalia said. "That's how Hercules killed it, right? We need to make a plan."

"No, just kill it!" Luke shot an arrow and it plunged into one if the hydra's eyes. That head collapsed, dead, and no other heads grew. "Like I did!"

"We ca't just improvise, Luke, that's how people die!" Thalia searched her pockets for matches, while Luke took out the remaining two heads. The hydra collapsed.

"Take that, Hydra!" He laughed.

Thalia slapped him across the face. "You idiot!" She screamed. "There's a reason I wanted to burn it! You know how when you chop off a head and two more grow? What happens when you 'chop off' the whole damn hydra?"

Sure enough, the hydra's body gurgled and three hydras popped up.

"Crap," said Luke.

"See, this is exactly why you need to listen to me!" Thalia snapped. She fumbled around with the matches and lit one. She held it out to the hydras, who immediately freaked out. One of them slashed out at the fire and hit Thalia instead. She flew across the ground and slammed into a tree, knocked out.

The match, however, fell out of her hand and the fire spread over the grass. Luke ran to her but was cut off the the wall of flames.

"Thalia!" He screamed. But he couldn't reach her without killing himself. "I'll... I'll come back for you," he whispered, and turned and ran from the flames.

**Thalia**

I felt the trasformation coming on before it did. My nose stretched out and my ears slid to the top of my head. Silver and white fur spring up all over my body and my hands and feet turned into paws.

I was a fox.

Luke had let me down.

We had failed the Trials.

**Okay, I'm thinking maybe there will only be one more chapter or so. And to the real Ysabel: I told you I was going to use your name in one of my stories, didn't I? ;) I hope I captured your true esscence. ;D Review for me to update faster, I'm thinking that when this chapter gets at least five reviews I'll update. I really don't want it to end, but everything has to end eventually, so I'm putting up the review goals. My next couple of chapters will pretty much just be updates on the Review Goal, and then the last chapter. *sniff* I need to go cry now.**

**Bye, y'all!**


	11. Note to All U Posers

**Look People.**

**This story has over 700 views.**

**I get that some of you are critics. I am a critic too. I don't care if your review is cruel or crap, just post it. So far we've only got two reviews, and if we don't get all five I am seriously not posting the final chapter to this story. So review, or I'll kill of Thalia and/or Luke and/or Amara and/or Bianca. **

**Love u, **

**K**


	12. Note to All U Peeps

**We reached our review mark! Whoo hoo! :D Thanks to all of you that reviewed! The final chapter will be posted as soon as I finish it! Thanks again,**

**K**


	13. Final Chapter :(

**We finappy got 5 reviews! THX FOR DOING SO IF U DID! :D Here is the final chapter of Thalia's Quest. Enjoy!**

Amara screamed when she saw the smoke.

She and Bianca had just reached the edge of a forest that Bianca had said she was sure Thalia and Luke were in. But then the heat suddenly rose and tendrils of smoke swirled into the sky. Then they say the first of the flames form in the wood.

"Run!" Bianca yelled. "Fire!"

She didn't have to tell her twice. The seven-year-old daughter of Demeter turned on her heels and ran until she reached the city again.

But Bianca was gone.

Then her face appeared before her. Bianca was surrounded my flames.

"Amara, listen to me. I'm IMing you because I'm going in to go find Thalia and Luke."

"But you could get hurt!"

Bianca smirked. "I'm a daughter of Hades. I don't burn easy."

She waved her hand through the mist and stared at the empty space. Amara was out of breath, and to her horror she felt hot tears sting her face. Her father was dead, a monster had raided their house and that was how she got on the run. Her mother couldn't care less about her. Her best friends were either dead or close to it, and now her new friend was risking her life for her.

Amara fell to her knees, and then a voice was heard behind her.

"Are you alright?"

Amara closed her eyes, choosing to ignore the voice.

They knelt beside her. "Hello?"

Amara looked into the green eyes of a fifteen year old girl with brown hair blowing around her face. She wore an orange shirt and a necklace with clay beads strung along it. Most of the beads, like the girl's shirt, were too faded to read.

"Who are you?" Amara whispered.

The girl smiled. "So you _do _have a voice! My name's Katie. And yours would be...?"

"Amara."

"Ooo, that's pretty!" Katie grinned.

Amara's gaze fell to the girl's waist, where a small dagger was strapped. Their eyes met.

"You're a demigod, too, aren't you?" Amara breathed.

Katie nodded slowly. "My full name's Katie Gardner. I guess that's why my mom was attracted to my dad. My mom's Demeter, BTW."

"Mine too."

Katie's eyes widened. "Whoa, I go looking for Percy and I find my half sister! Go figure."

"Percy?"

She waved a hand dismissivly. "Oh, he's just the sixteen year old living legend of my camp that's gone missing, is all," she said.

"Oh." Amara blinked at her sister. "Katie, what if I told you there was a whole forest on fire about a mile from here?"

"Oh, gods. Take me to it, sis!"

**Thalia's POV:**

The fox was fast. Swift. Agile. I easily dodged the flames and the burning foliage. My mind was racing. Luke had left me. Why, though? Why?

Soon I collapsed. Exhaustion took over. Just before I passed out, I saw a jet of water and green eyes.

**Bianca:**

Bianca gasped when she saw Amara and a girl she thought she remembered as Katie Gardner putting out the fire with squirt-flowers they had grown.

A white fox lay knocked out in front of them.

Soon all the flames were out and Bianca ran to the fox's side.

"Thalia?" She whispered.

The fox's blue eyes blinked open and it nodded.

Katie and Amara joined her near Thalia. "Did Luke hurt you?" Amara whispered.

Thalia didn't move.

"Girls, step away."

Lady Artemis stood behind them, bow raised.

Bianca tightened her grip on the fox. "No," she said sternly. "I won't let you kill Thalia."

"She lost, Bianca," Artemis said. "And she knew the consequences."

"Stop!"

Luke Castellan ran into the clearing.

"Go away, Luke," Amara spat. "You ruined Thalia."

"I know," he said quietly. "And I regret it with my life. I couldn't reach her because of the fire, so being the coward I am I ran."

He fell to his knees.

Katie Gardner glared at him. "Buzz off, you," she snapped.

Luke looked up at her and frowned. "Wait- since when have _you _been here?" He sighed. "Look, the point is, I'm sorry for leaving Thalia. If we could have another chance...?"

Artemis thought for a moment, and then she lowered her bow. "You may speak to Thalia alone, see what she thinks. Come on, girls." The Hunters left, followed by Katie, Amara, and Bianca.

Luke walked up to the fox. "Thal, I'm sorry," he said.

Thalia blinked at him. Then she closed her eyes, and Luke heard her thoughts in his mind. _Why'd you leave me, Luke?_

"Because I was scared of dying again. It hurts, Thal, and I didn't want to do it again."

The fox opened its eyes, and Luke could see tears forming in them. _But now I'm going to have to feel the hurt, the pain._

"I didn't know we would fail. I was going to come back for you."

_But you didn't._

"I'm here now, aren't I?"

Luke held Thalia closer to him.

"Thal," he whispered. "I am so, so sorry. This was a huge mistake. Everything I did was a huge mistake. Can you forgive me?"

Thalia was silent for a minute.

"Yes."

The voice wasn't in his mind this time.

He pulled away, and a girl with shoulder-length black hair, blue eyes, and freckles was in his arms, wearing a black shirt and jeans.

Thalia Grace, the _human _Thalia Grace, laughed. "I _can _forgive you, Luke. Thank you." She hugged him again.

"Thalia." The soft voice belonged to Artemis. "You and Luke passed."

Thalia pulled away and frowned at the Hunteress. "But..."

"The real Trials were to see how the boy reacted after you failed. You were set up to fail anyway."

"Gee, thanks," Muttered Thalia, scowling.

"But now think. Neither of you will die now, but do you really want to give up being a Hunter for Luke? Give up everything you chose to be a part of?"

"I-" She bit her lip. Give up being a Hunter? Never see Alexis or Phoebe again as her sisters?

But on the other hand, she'd have Luke...

"Thalia," Luke whispered in her ear. "If you want to be a Hunter, do it. Don't give all of this up for me. Please, Thal, we can still be friends after."

"I'm not supposed to talk to boys, if I'm a Hunteress."

"But you can, if he passed the Trials," Artemis said, kneeling beside them.

"Thalia, what will you choose?" Bianca, who had walked up to them.

"I choose..."

**The final scene:**

Thalia stood, arms behind her back. She watched the sun go down over the mountains in the distance, then closed her eyes. She wondered if she had made the right choice, if she would be happy like this.

_You will, _she told herself. _This is right. This is what you should've done in the first place._

_But nothing will be the same for me now._

She had given it up. All of it.

And for what?

"Thalia!"

She grinned as a girl ran into her arms. That girl was soon followed by another, slightly older girl.

Thalia hugged Phoebe and Alexis back.

This was what she had given it up for. Her friends. Her family.

Her sisters at arms.

But she still felt that longing. The one she knew would never go away.

The longing for him.

The longing for Luke Castellan.

"Thalia. My turn."

She grinned again, forgetting he was there. She ran into his arms, laughing.

"Why am I here again?" He asked.

Thalia pulled away and punched him in the arm. "Because you love me, silly."

"And because you made me."

Thalia smirked. "That too."

"But you know I can't stay. Artemis will kill me."

"I know."

"But I'll visit," he promised.

"You'd better," Thalia said, kissing him on the cheek. "Or else I'll find you."

"Then I wouldn't have to visit, would I?"

**And so our story ends.**

**Readers: Awwww! D;**

**Me: I know, I know. But hey!**

**Readers (eagerly): What?! What?!**

**Me: I might write another story!**

**Readers: *gasp* YAY!**

**Me: Yep! About Amara! But I won't unless you review, so review. Thanks to all of you that already did, and thanks to those of you that will. Um... you else can I thank? Oh! My BFF (in real life and in this) IzzyPJAC! She was my first view ever, and my first RE-view! Also Cricket the Clarinetist, for her idea imputs! **

**You guys: Feel free to PM me! I respond to all PMs, so if you have any ideas please let me know! ;) Live, love, and don't lick bears! **

**:D**

**Goodbye,**

**KLoveMe**


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